


sugar plum

by loyaulte_me_lie



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Hijinks, M/M, Nile Is A Ballet Dancer, Post-Canon, Sugar Plum Fairy - Freeform, dance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:42:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28594908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loyaulte_me_lie/pseuds/loyaulte_me_lie
Summary: It's Nile's first Christmas without her family. Andy and Joe are trying to distract her. Nicky walks in on the result.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 4
Kudos: 56





	sugar plum

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Thalestris](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thalestris/gifts).



> This came out of a random scene I had floating in my notebook BECAUSE my friend Maris finished their degree the other day and I wanted to give them a present! So congrats Maris! You are a star! This is for you!
> 
> The duet I'm talking about can be seen on stage [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy6dlGpC3Ns). The particular move is around the 4 minute mark. And there are no trigger warnings AT ALL.

When Nicky wakes up, he is alone. By the warmth still lingering under the covers and the too-bright sunshine breaking in through the shutters, he thinks that Joe must be not long out of bed. He usually stays, content to cuddle or to sketch or read something until Nicky finally drags himself out of sleep, but sometimes restlessness or hunger will drive him downstairs earlier. He’s been gone most mornings this Christmas season, Nile’s first with them, and Nicky doesn’t blame him. Nile rises early, and Joe doesn’t like her to be alone at the moment. They learned this with Booker; the first Christmas is always the worst.

Getting slowly but progressively more awake, Nicky forces himself out of bed and over to the wardrobe to find clothes, brushes his teeth, heads downstairs. He nearly trips over the last couple of steps, blindsided by a yawn and a strong desire for coffee. There are voices and laughter echoing from the kitchen, and he resigns himself to be teased for his zombielike state – it has become legendary, over the centuries – and opens the door.

“No, straighten your arms! Oh, okay, whoa…”

“Fuck, Andy, don’t drop her!”

“I’m fine! It’s fine! It’s all under control!”

“ _You_ can’t see Nile’s expression right now.”

“Shut up, al-Kaysani.”

“I’m good,” Nile says, and whether she’s being diplomatic or just plain stubborn Nicky doesn’t know, rubbing his eyes and wondering what the fuck has gotten into them all this morning. Joe is perched on the counter with his _World’s Best Husband_ mug, and Nile is hovering above one of Andy’s shoulders, arms in a graceful arc above her head, obviously and determinedly trying to stay upright. Andy is holding her thighs with grim determination.

“Nicolò!” Joe says, spotting him. “Morning, love! Sleep well?”

“Morning,” Nicolò replies through another yawn. “Do I want to know?”

Before Joe can answer, Andy evidently gives up and Nile comes tumbling back down to earth, finding her feet with catlike ease. “Not bad,” she says. “Morning Nicky.”

“Morning, Nile, Andy,” Nicolò picks his way past the table to the coffeepot to pour a mug, thinking only briefly of Booker and his disgusting tendency to drink straight from the pot. Nicolò was always rather pleased by the movement away from communal cups and bowls, always disliked Booker’s insistence on bringing the medieval world into the modern one, but not having him here now feels strange. It’s their first Christmas without him, too.

“Andy has decided that the Sugar Plum Prince is her new butch icon, sparkly tights and all,” Joe says, just this side of gleeful, as Nicky turns to lean against the counter, resting his elbow against the side of Joe’s thigh.

“Don’t mock my queer identity,” Andy grouses back. “Come on, Nile, again.”

Nile sighs, but backs up past the table and performs the move again, running at Andy and twisting midair until she’s back in the position she was in. Nicky knows full well what an excellent dancer Nile is – years of classes partnering her brother, endless shows, preparing her brother for competitions – but it’s really quite cool to see her move beyond the small solo bits and pieces she’s been coaxed into showing them.

“I really need to teach you the other half of this move,” Nile says. “It gets better.” Then, to Nicky, because Andy doesn’t seem to _want_ to put her down, “it’s the biggest duet in the Nutcracker. One of the crown jewels of classical ballet.”

“Nice,” Nicky says. “You’re doing it at 9am on a Sunday morning why?”

“Andy had a score to settle,” Nile says. “Ok, so with the momentum next time you want to turn me, I’ll extend my leg, and we end up with you holding me like _this_ …”

“I dared her,” Joe admits.

“You did, you motherfucker,” Andy says. “And now I’m hooked. It’s all your fault.”

“When is it not?” Joe asks, and Nicky laughs, drinks more of his coffee. Nile is smiling, bright and not at all forced – still a rare thing these days, but coming more often, like the rain is incrementally being chased away. They might not equal Nile’s family quite yet, but he’s damned if they’re not giving it their best shot.

**Author's Note:**

> Come scream with me on Tumblr:@if-fortunate!


End file.
